A/N : Oyey, oyey! Come one, come all to see this beautiful piece of trash as known as chapter 4 of CNU! It is longer than the other ones, and I hope you will still like it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, this means a lot to me :) Thank you to 39CluesFan-Star for helping me with this, you rock girl! Also, I went on vacations so I didn't have any computer with me, but I took a paper and a pen and wrote you guys two stories! Follow me to not miss it ;)
Code Name: UNTITLED
Chapter 4
Everything was black. She couldn't see anything. She tried to walk, putting her arms and hands in front of her, but she couldn't make any move. Fear was paralysing her. She hated the dark. She was so scared. Who knew what was in front of her, waiting to devour her? A monster coming from one of her many nightmares? Something dark, with horrible, red skin and black eyes? Or just someone wanting to hurt her? A crazy man wanting to take revenge? Both were horrible.
She tried to calm herself down. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. One. Two. Three. Four… She did what her mother taught her when she was a little girl. In case of major stress, darling, count to ten and think about good things, things you love.
Things she loved. Suddenly, the darkness was replaced by blinding light. She quickly closed her eyes and put her hands over her face. Even through her closed eyelids, the light managed to hurt her. Her eyes were burning. She was about to drop on her knees because of the unbearable pain when all of a sudden, the light became more tolerable.
She opened her eyes, slowly, and realized she was crying from pain. She looked around her, looking for any clues as to where she was. But still nothing. It seemed as if she was in another dimension. This 'room' seemed to have no wall, no roof, no door, no window… Absolutely nothing. How was it possible?
Sounds of laughter came from her right. She turned her head but no one was there. She frowned. Then, going behind her, they now were at her left. She quickly glanced in this direction, but again saw nothing. Was she going crazy? She swore she heard children laughing.
"I'll catch you! I'll catch you!"
A girl screamed, while a boy laughed. She got up, turning around. Where were they?
"The Ninja Lord will catch you and you'll beg for me to spare you!"
"Help!"
The two children laughed again, and it seemed like they were disappearing. A few minutes passed and she didn't hear a thing. Not a single chuckle. The Ninja Lord…
"Guys! Diner's ready!" a woman's voice cried in the distance.
"Race you!" the boy yelled.
And then, just like that, she was able to see them. She was able to see herself. Dan wasn't very tall at this time, and she smiled at the sight. He was still a little kid, with his dirty blonde hair that fell in his eyes and his goofy smile she loved so much.
As for her, she was taller than him, and she remembered how proud she was because of that. Her hair fell on her shoulders, and was redder than now.
Amy saw her younger self running towards something. Someone. Little Amy ran in his arms, and he lifted her up, spinning her small body around. She heard and saw herself giggle like crazy, grinning like a fool.
The man was very tall, and had the same blonde hair as his son. Even at this distance, she could see his eyes sparkle from joy, and she couldn't help but cry a little. She missed this moments so much.
Little Dan pulled at the skirt of his mother and she smiled at him, bending down to look at him in the eyes. She ruffled his hair a bit, in a really motherly and tenderly way, making it even messier that it usually was. He smiled, showing his two front teeth missing, and he kissed her a long time on the cheek, putting his chubby arms around her neck.
Amy smiled, even if she was feeling really sad.
"Let's go eat now." their father said, Amy still in his arms.
They walked away, away from her, and then disappeared. She was once again alone. She wanted to yell at them to not leave her alone, but she couldn't form any word. Her voice wouldn't allow her. So instead, she put both of her arms in front of her, in a last and desperate way to catch them. But it was too late.
She stayed like that for a while, not knowing what to do. She was about to walk to see if she could escape from this place, but a figure was standing still in the distance, in front of her.
She couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, but this person seemed very tall. Was he or she looking at her?
The stranger slowly began to move forward, towards Amy. The more he or she got closer, the more Amy panicked. It wasn't the fact that this person could hurt her, no, but she got that weird feeling she would know him and she wouldn't like that.
The unknown abruptly stopped in his tracks, and Amy gasped. In a way she couldn't exactly tell, light came landing right on his face, allowing her to recognise it.
"I-I-Ian?"
What was he doing here? Her parents and brother appeared because she thought of people she loved, but that didn't include him! Right? She couldn't possibly love him.
"Hello, Love."
"Wha-What are you-"
"Shh, Love. Don't speak, or they will know I'm here."
"What are you talking about? Who is going to hear me?"
He shook his head, a little smirk she knew very well playing at the corner of his lips.
"Always so stubborn." he murmured, approaching her.
She wanted to back away, ask him what he was doing, but she found she couldn't move an inch. She was like paralysed.
He put a soft hand on her hip, his face really close to hers. His breath was hot on her cold skin, and she felt it tingle. She looked into his eyes. She had always loved this peculiar colour. It seemed like gold, gold with magical properties that could heal you from all the wounds in the world. Yes, she had always loved his eyes… Always…
He closed them, and so did she. She felt his mouth gently brushing her lips, and she sighed a little. He was moving so slow, she wished he could do it faster.
"Ian…"
"Amy…"
"We shou-"
"Amy!"
Amy woke up, heavily panting. She looked around her, suddenly alert. Leaning over her bed and looking at her, was her brother, Dan. His hair was messier than usual, and he seemed really tired.
"What?" she asked, scratching her head. What time was it? Too early, surely.
"It's time to get up! They are going to be here any minute."
"Who is- Oh my god!"
She quickly pushed her covers, making Dan back away. She checked her watch. 9.30. They were supposed to arrive at 10.
"Why didn't you come earlier?" she almost screamed, rummaging through her chest of drawers to find something acceptable to wear.
"I did, but nothing could wake you up. I even tried to bring Saladin, but this cat is getting too old for these kinds of things."
In the corner of her eye, she saw him shake his head in a really dramatic way specific to him.
"Anyway," he continued, "Jake called us and said he will be there a little sooner."
She froze. In her rush to get ready, she had totally forgotten about him. Why was he coming again? Really, what was the point? She didn't want to see him, not after what happened. She didn't know if she would be able to handle his presence. Luckily, the others will be there and distract her from him. At least she hoped. She will just have to make sure not to end alone in the same room as him.
"Try to not kill him, please." Dan quietly said.
And with that, he left the room, leaving her alone with her feelings.
She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down. She had already done that in the past, a lot of times actually, so there was no reason to be afraid. But yet, she couldn't help but play nervously with her fingers, or with her hair, twisting it around her index. She would always look at her watch, in a way that surely wasn't sane for her sanity. Did it have something to do with the fact that three people that used to come at that kind of meeting wouldn't be there today? Probably.
At that thought, Amy's stomach twisted, and she almost bent over to make it more bearable. She was about to hide in her room to maybe throw up, but Sinead suddenly opened the door of the living room, red in the face.
"I can't believe it!" she yelled.
"What?"
"Look at this!" she threw her a magazine and she struggled to catch it before it fell on the floor.
"What is it?"
She looked at the cover, and her heart broke a little at the sight. Grinning widely at her like the superstar he is, Jonah Wizard was once again under the headline of a people magazine.
"Jonah Wizard the coward," she read the title out loud, almost murmuring it, "Pff, what a pun. My eyes are bleeding."
"It's unacceptable!" Sinead screamed. Amy thought her eyes were going to fall if she kept them so wide open. "Who do they think they are?"
"Sinead, calm-"
"I will not calm down! Have you read what they said? Not only did they insult him with that freaking pun, but they also wrote he wasn't able to attend his own concert because he took too many drugs! Like he would do such a thing!"
"Sinead, you know what they say is not true." Amy tried to reason her.
"I know! But some people don't! They are going to believe it! They said shows weren't for him anymore, and because he knew it he began-"
"Sinead, for the love of God, calm down!" Dan yelled from the couch.
He was watching TV and playing on his phone at the same time. This kid spent too much time in front of screens, Amy thought to herself. She will have to change that.
"Better they believe that than the truth," he continued, "Imagine what they would do if they knew."
It seemed to appease her, but it was maybe because she didn't realise Dan was here, and he had heard everything. But Amy knew better. She knew she was still furious inside.
"Don't you worry, Sin'. We will save them, and he will be back on stage before you can say 'Quidditch'." she smiled.
Her cousin laughed a bit at that, but still shook her head.
"You're telling me that when yourself is having trouble sleeping. I heard you scream last night, Amy."
She stiffened a bit, wondering if she knew about her weird dream. If anyone did, that would be beyond awkward.
"I slept well last night," she lied, "I even woke up too late."
Sinead sent her a look, as if saying 'don't lie to me.' and she suddenly was at loss for words. Luckily, the doorbell rang, making the two girls jump.
Amy stared at it, her heart stopping for a second and then beating faster than ever.
"It must be the Rosenbloom brothers." Fiske said, leaving the kitchen to open the door.
Amy was more than glad that he did, because she would have just stared at him without being able to say anything apart from 'jerk'. Or worse.
Her uncle greeted them, and everything that happened then was like in slow-motion. Fiske smiled at Atticus and then at him, asking them how the trip from Italy was. The two boys answered something Amy couldn't quite hear, and made their entrance, making everyone able to see them properly.
Atticus had grown up a lot since the last time she saw him, and that was one year ago. He didn't have glasses anymore and he looked a lot more like a man. She was sure that in a few months, he would be taller than her.
Her gaze passed to him, and her breath caught in her throat. He was still very handsome, and that was an understatement, but just the sight of him made her want to scream. Even after all these months, where she had passed a lot of time thinking about what he'd done, she still couldn't forget. Forgive.
"Hello, Amy."
"Amy, please, let me explain."
"There's absolutely nothing to explain. I want you out of my house within the next hours."
"But you can't-"
"I can and I'll show you!"
"Hi."
He tried taking her in his arms but she smoothly escaped, smiling instead at Atticus.
"Att!" she exclaimed, truly happy to see him. "How are you?"
"I'm more than fi-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence for someone attacked him from behind, jumping on his back and covering his eyes.
"Guess who!"
"Umm…" he faked thinking, but a small smile was playing at his lips. "Frankenstein?"
"No, you dumbass! It's Count Dracula!"
The two boys laughed, and Dan climbed off Atticus. They high-fived and her brother led him to his room, where he'll probably show him his new ninja pajamas.
"So," Fiske said, "The girls are going to show you your rooms, that way you can put your things in it."
He seemed happy to see him, but everyone knew it was not the case. The tension could be felt up to Los Angeles.
"Thanks, Fiske." Jake answered, smiling at who he once considered like his family.
Sinead, Amy and him climbed up the stairs in silence, not really knowing what to say. As for her, Amy had a lot of things to say to him, but she held back what she had in mind, for they weren't all nice things.
They finally arrived in front of a door, at the end of the long hallway. Sinead opened the door and let him in.
"This will be your room for…...the time it takes for us to get the boys back. Your brother's is just next to yours. The others will arrive soon, so be prepared."
Her voice was ice cold, and, with that, she turned her back to him and walked down the corridor, not giving him another glance.
That left him and her. Alone.
"So…" Jake began, looking at her.
"Bye."
And she too walked away.
The Holt and Starling siblings arrived almost at the same time, Sinead screaming when she saw her brothers. That was the first time Amy saw her look so happy since the bad news fell. She watched them embrace and kiss each other, and she smiled. It was nice to see a united family like that. It felt good. Like nothing was wrong anymore.
As for the Holt girls, they looked very sad, and Amy could understand why. Their brother was missing, after all. She smiled at them in a way she hoped would comfort them and make them know they weren't alone. They were in this together.
The last guest to arrive was, of course, Cara Pierce. If there was one person she didn't want to see under her roof besides Jake, it was her, without hesitation.
The girl rang at their door fashionably late, sunglasses on. Her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, a soft smile on her lips.
Like the others, she seemed a lot cheerless, and Amy was sure it was only because Ian was missing. It wouldn't surprise her, though.
Sinead and herself both showed everyone their rooms, and once they all settled down, Fiske called them in the Cahill Command Center, or CCC.
"First of all," he began, looking at them all seriously, "Thanks to all of you for coming here in such a short delay. It means a lot about your desire to cooperate. I know it's hard for a lot of you, but we'll get through it, I'm sure of it."
He paused, clearing his throat.
"As all of you know, three members of our family have been kidnapped yesterday, and we don't know who the author of this crime is.
"It's the Vespers." Reagan whispered, and Amy saw a shadow cross her face.
"It's too soon to tell anything right now," Fiske continued, "However, some details prove to us it may not be our old rivals."
At this, he turned on all the screens of the room and showed the new guests the pictures. Gasps could be heard around the CCC, and Amy felt a wave of fear wash over them.
"This is the symbol we found where the crime has been committed. A simple 'B' and 'C' in a black circle."
"This is interesting," Ned said, "What does it mean?"
"We don't know yet, our agents are actually working on resolving this mystery."
"Did your agents find anything else?" Phoenix asked, frowning.
He had his arms crossed and was looking intensely at the screens in front of him.
"As it happens, I was going to talk about it," he looked at them straight in the eyes, a serious look on his face, "I want you guys to help them. You know them better than this people, for they were important persons to you. Hopefully you will see things that escaped our agents' sights and you will report it to us."
"And what if we don't find anything? We'll only lose more time." Sinead objected, not really happy to hear that.
"We never know, it might be really helpful in the future."
"Aren't these people qualified enough? I mean, it's not that it's a bad idea or anything, but…" Ted trailed off.
"They are," Fiske agreed, "But the more the better."
"Fine!" Dan exclaimed, "When are we going?"
He was smiling and looked eager to go.
"You are not coming, Dan."
Dan opened his mouth wide in shock, staring at his uncle dumbly.
"What? Why? I want to help too!"
"I'm sure of that, and you'll help by staying here and searching for the letters meaning. Scientifics will come at the CCC and help us."
Dan pouted, a bit disappointed. Amy was sad for him, but it was better like that. Who knew, maybe these strangers were still hidden near the crime scene. The last thing she wanted was her brother being attacked by ninjas.
"So, that meant you already made up the team?" Cara spoke for the first time.
"Yes. I know some of you think I only make every one of us lose time," he looked pointedly at Sinead, who averted her gaze, "But I can assure you it is not my attention."
He took out a paper from his jean pocket and put his glasses on.
"Madison and Reagan, you are obviously the ones who know Hamilton the best. You'll go in the classroom where he got attacked, with the help of Cara. I don't want you to be alone without an adult you know personally."
Amy thought it was a bit stupid to make them go back, while they just left their state, but said nothing. After all, Fiske had his reasons, some more clever than others.
"Amy and Sinead, you're going to the Kabras Mansion. Seeing Ian hasn't anybody anymore, I think you," he glared at Amy, "Are the ones who know him best."
Amy sighed of relief. She was more than glad to go there. She wanted to see personally the extent of the damages, even if it may not be good for her sanity.
She smiled at Fiske and met Jake's gaze. He didn't look delighted by this idea and was frowning, arms crossed over his chest. She lifted her head up, as if saying 'Take that.' His discontentment made her grin inside of her.
"Phoenix, you'll go with Nellie in Jonah's bus tour. It has been brought back to the L.A reserve before anyone got the chance to investigate."
Fiske cleared his throat once again and swallowed.
"The others, you will stay with me to help Dan find out the letters mystery."
Some nodded while others groaned. They all went to their partners and talked, wondering if it was worth it or not. Amy herself didn't know, but she was sure of one thing: she would do everything she could to save them, no matter what, at any costs. She won't let those barbarians hurt her family, not again. They deserved peace.
"Hey." said a voice next to her.
She turned around to see Dan looking oddly at her.
"Are you okay? You seem weird."
She shook her head.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking."
"I think we think too much." he laughed.
She chuckled and looked at him. She loved her brother. He always found the perfect words to cheer her up.
"No, but seriously," he added, "Don't think too much. Everything will be fine, I swear."
"How do you know?" she arched an eyebrow, slightly smiling.
He shrugged.
"I just know it. A ninja knows everything, Amy-san."
She laughed once again, the echo flying around the room.
"Yeah, sure. Aren't you a bit too old to think you're a ninja?"
He seemed truly outraged.
"Dear God, no! Caution, Amy. You're talking like Big Cobra."
She shook her head, amused at her brother silliness. He then walked away to go see Atticus, and Madison called out to her.
"Hey Ames! What did you do to your hair?"
She came closer to her to look at it more closely. She took a strand of her short red hair between her fingers and examined it.
"Oh, you didn't notice?"
Madison shook her head and Amy touched it absent-mindedly.
"A ninja cut a part with his saber so I didn't have any other choice but to cut the rest."
"Wow," Madison breathed, "Well, I think it suits you well."
"Thanks." She beamed.
Her cousins, after giving a look at her new haircut, all made their way to the living room to eat what Nellie and Sinead cooked for them.
Before leaving the CCC, Jake passed next to her, a little smile on his lips, and said, "You're beautiful."
She nodded coldly, not looking at him, and luckily Nellie told them to hurry up. He didn't wait for her to say something else and passed the door.
She looked at the images still on the screens, and once again a shiver went down her spine. She inhaled deeply, lifting her head up.
You won't stay hidden for long. We will find you, and when we do, you'll regret it.
A/N: So... yeah... What did you think of it? Please, leave a review, it motivates me to write more and post more often! Surely you can take to seconds to leave a comment. No? Thanks for reading! Please follow and favorite, too ;)
Also, what do you think of Ian taking an Indian accent to make Amy laugh? Tell me, and maybe I'll post Something about that.
